Page 113 of Seven Year Itch
“Randal told you what he was, and you didn’t believe him, and look how that turned out.”
“I know,” I croak again, and press my forehead to my steering wheel. “I hate that I’m doing the same damn thing I did before. My God, it’s like I learned nothing from a divorce that cost me half a million dollars.”
“You did learn something,” she says, and my head pops up. “You phoned a friend. You didn’t phone any friends when you were in your Randal era. You dove into that mess without a second thought.”
I nod woodenly, willing myself to really listen to what she’s saying. I can’t let myself believe a man is anything other than what he’s shown me he is. Randal showed me what he was on day one, and I ignored the red flags. I have to refocus on what my initial goals were with this arrangement with Calder... no matter how much it hurts me.
“So, what do I do about tonight, then?” Chills crawl over my skin because there is no part of me that still wants to go, especially when it most likely means it will be my last night with Calder.
“You go to that club with him, and you act totally good. You let him spank you in front of strangers or whatever nasty shit your kinky ass is into. Be totally chill, like you’ve been training for this like the motherfucking Olympics, okay?”
I garble out a laugh. “I kind of have. Seriously, my vagina is probably never going to look the same.”
“That’s disgusting and appealing all at the same time.”
“Right?”
Chapter 38
Poker Face
Dakota
“I feel like a different person here tonight,” I say proudly as I perch on a barstool at Lexon Club with a cosmo in my hand.
Calder nods, sipping his water in brooding silence. It’s odd that he didn’t order a beer, but he’s been weird all night. Quiet and withdrawn. So different from last night.
I continue talking in hopes that his mood will shift, doing my best to channel Tatianna’s advice. If this is the end of Calder and me, I want to walk away with my head held high.
“Maybe your PowerPoint challenge could be a real thing for people looking to boost their confidence. You could market it to the divorcée crowd. That’s a huge audience, I’m sure. You could publish it as a book. Like the new ageKama Sutra. Kate could teach you anything you need to know about self-publishing so you wouldn’t even have to find an agent or anything. Are you any good at writing?”
Calder looks at me with the same surly pout he’s had since he picked me up an hour ago.
“What is your problem?” I snap, feeling exasperated by his mood. “This is no fun if you’re just going to be grumpy all night.”
A figure appears out of the corner of my eye, and I look over to see a man in a black suit standing right beside me. He smiles and says, “Hey, baby girl,” and I’m jostled on my stool when Calder leans across me and thrusts a finger in the man’s face.
“Keep fucking walking, pal,” he growls, his voice deep and threatening.
The man’s head jerks back. “What’s your problem?”
“Right now, it’s just you.” Calder’s eyes are menacing slits as he stands up, towering over the guy in all his big mountain man glory. The man shuffles away, chancing a glance back at us. Probably to make sure Calder isn’t chasing him.
My brows lift. “Well, okay then.”
“This is stupid,” Calder grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose as he drops back down onto his stool.
“This was on the PowerPoint.” I grab my glass to take another drink, trying to hide the tremble in my hand. “It’s our last challenge, so why don’t we just get to it? You’re not even drinking, so why are we sitting down here? Let’s go upstairs and find a room to watch some action.”
After a moment, Calder stands up, lacing his fingers through mine in a way that feels so affectionate, it makes my stomach hurt. He’s so good at this, and he doesn’t even know it. He runs from commitment because of what that Robyn girl did to him, but that relationship wasn’t even real. She was a head case. If he tried it with someone who had more to offer him, maybe caring about someone wouldn’t be so scary.
Why did I just consider myself for that role? Is that what I want? Do I want a longer-term situation with Calder Fletcher?
Something tells me that if I do, I’m about to get my heart completely broken.
I hate that he’s the one who says no to relationships because that puts all the power in his hands. My cards are out there on the table. He knows what I’m looking for. Right?
He leads us up the stairs to the various playrooms with his hand pressed against the small of my back. I glance around at the other patrons and can’t help but notice all their eyes on Calder and the urge I have to thrust my own finger in their faces.
